The Speaker Of Britain’s House Of Commons Won’t Let Trump Speak At Parliament

Long Story Short

The speaker of Britain’s House of Commons says he won’t let President Trump address the country's parliament when he visits the UK for a state visit this summer, citing his perceived racism and sexism, his attacks on the judiciary and the Muslim migrant ban.

Long Story

John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, is no fan of Donald Trump. Never has been, and odds are he never will be. But his stinging condemnation of the President of one of Britain’s closest allies and the country with which is shares a much-vaunted “special relationship,” is still surprising.

Bercow’s comments on Monday came shortly after Trump had accepted Queen Elizabeth II’s invitation to make a state visit this summer. And while an address to Parliament is never guaranteed in these things, there have been plenty of precedents: Barack Obama, Angela Merkel of Germany, Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia and Xi Jinping of China have all spoken before both the lower chamber, the House of Commons, and the upper, the House of Lords.

Donald Trump will not.

“An address by a foreign leader to both House of Parliament is not an automatic right. It is an earned honor,” said Bercow.

In order to address both Houses in Westminster Hall, the three key holders to the Hall—the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Speaker of the House of Lords and the Lord Great Chamberlain—must be in agreement, he added.

“Before the imposition of the migrant ban I would myself have been strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall,” Bercow said, to cheers from the opposition Labour party. “After the imposition of the migrant ban by President Trump, I am even more strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall.”

Bercow then referred to the possibility of Trump speaking to both Houses from the Royal Gallery, which is in another part of the Parliament building and has also been used by state leaders for official dinners and other occasions to address both Houses.

“So far as the Royal Gallery is concerned, again I operate on advice, I do not perhaps have as strong a say in that matter. It is in a different part of the building, although customarily an invitation to a visiting leader to deliver an address there would be issued in the names of the two speakers,” he continued. “I would not wish to issue an invitation to President Trump to speak in the Royal Gallery.”

Bercow concluded, “I feel very strongly that our opposition to racism and to sexism and our support for equality before the law and an independent judiciary are hugely important considerations in the House of Commons.”

Reaction was predictably partisan, with Conservatives scorning his comments and Labour praising them.

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Was Bercow grandstanding or standing up for his principles?

Drop This Fact

Although elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative MP in 1997, Bercow has often been at odds with his party. He was first elected to the supposedly politically neutral speaker’s chair in 2009 and re-elected in 2015.